Downtown Detroit Archives – Page 164 of 283

Group gathering support for city to adopt council by districts

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

A Detroit group of community activists are gathering signatures in support of scrapping one city council and going to council by districts.Excerpt:A coalition of Detroit-based community organizations is reaching out to volunteers to collect more than 31,000 signatures to put a proposal to elect council members by district on the November ballot.Detroiters for City Council by Districts said it already has collected more than 10,000 signatures. The coalition is holding a training session next week for volunteers to help it collect the remaining signatures of the 31,240 required by Aug. 4 to put the proposal on the ballot.If successful, the effort would amend the current, 1997 Detroit City Charter to elect nine council members -- seven from districts and two serving at-large.Read the entire article here.

Hertz So Good: Detroit Music Awards’ Top Dog Talks About the City and the Scene

By Jennifer Andrews

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April 14, 2009

With the Detroit Music Awards just around the corner, we talk with organizer Howard Hertz, an ambassador, promoter and tireless supporter of the Detroit scene. The entertainment lawyer says the world may recognize the depth of the talent pool here, but many Detroiters don't know just how good we've got it.

Time magazine writes about Detroit as the world’s lab for rebuilding cities

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

Detroit's renewal may lie in a smaller, denser, greener city.Excerpt:The Russell Industrial Center, an Albert Kahn--designed former auto-body manufacturing plant converted into more than 1 million sq. ft. (93,000 sq m) of studio space, is one example of how to find new uses for Detroit's vacant structures. "It took us about a year before we realized we weren't going to get big manufacturers in here," says Chris Mihailovich, whose development company took over the complex in 2003. Mihailovich started leasing cavernous parcels at bargain-basement prices, and a community flourished. "This is the future: small business. The auto industry is all people knew, but it's not coming back." In the Russell's warren of dingy hallways, more than 150 artists hone their craft. Some salvage supplies and inspiration from the city's wreckage. Artist Albert Young, 57, sifts through scrap yards for metal he can assemble into sculptures--a process he calls "resurrecting refuse from another time."Read the entire article here.

Letter to the editor of the NY Times: Don’t forget about Detroit

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

Reader writes into the New York Times asking where's the Detroit love in story about reinventing cities.Excerpt:Re “Reinventing America’s Cities: the Time Is Now” by Nicolai Ouroussoff [March 29]:Mr. Ouroussoff’s article was informative and important. While I appreciated his four case studies and policy recommendations for New Orleans, Los Angeles, Buffalo and the Bronx, I was sorely disappointed to see Detroit given no more than a passing shout out in his paragraph on urban decay. Detroit’s community is vibrant and dynamic, albeit small, and is ripe with potential for growth and development. Read the entire letter here.

Detroit artists under 30 you need to know from the Metro Times

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

The Metro Times makes a short list of six artists under 30 you need to know about.Excerpt:Peeling back the paint chips, exposing every negative, and checking the hem of each leg, I ventured to uncover some of the most exciting artists younger than 30 (OK, one of them is 30) buzzing about the eyes and ears of Detroit's creative core — the collage of often-quirky tastemakers who step between kempt galleries and moldy basements of the local arts landscape. It was nearly impossible to trim the list to only six artists.Read the entire article here.

What’s a hoedown without Willie Nelson? Or, for that matter, Kevin Costner?

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

Detroit isn't really all that famous for its county music scene but downtown Detroit's hoedown finds a way to bring out the denim and the giant hats. This year is expected to be much of the same and thousands of people. Plus, this year not only will Willie Nelson be playing live in Hart Plaza but, also, Kevin Costner's band. Yeah, that Kevin Costner. If you book it, he will play.Excerpt:Roberts says the bill is the culmination of an entire year's worth of work. He says he's particularly excited about booking Kevin Costner's band, Modern West. "He doesn't do that many shows, and we were lucky enough to get him with routing patterns and in-between movies," says Roberts, who bumped into Costner at the CMA Awards in November and popped the question. The Hoedown is billed as "the world's largest free country concert event," and past Hoedowns have featured artists such as Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich and others. Read the entire article here.

Good news, Detroiters: Study shows city living reduces carbon footprint

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

New study says living in the city can be beneficial for the environment.Excerpt:Generally speaking, studies have shown that city dwellers, who frequent public transportation, occupy smaller-than-average and multiunit living spaces, use less energy to heat and cool, tend to have lower carbon footprints than their suburban or rural counterparts, who often have bigger homes, use more energy to heat and cool, and typically drive themselves to and fro. A 2008 report by the Brookings Institution, for example, found that the average American in a metropolitan area has a carbon footprint of 8.21 tons — 14 percent less than the average American living outside the city.Read the entire article here.

If Cobo deal dies, don’t let regionalism die with it, Freep editorial says

By Newsroom

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April 14, 2009

Regionalism and cooperation between counties may be the answer to a number of problems facing the area.Excerpt:Regional solutions are the only solutions to metro Detroit’s many challenges. The area’s political leaders have got to be able to sit down together and see their own interests, as well as the region’s, in all the other faces. So several steps need to be taken to ensure that, at some point, the parties can come back together in good faith, renegotiate Cobo and move on to the other issues. The first is for everyone to just hang tight on Cobo for now, and wait until the city’s political landscape is more settled. With three city elections between now and November, there’s no point in renegotiating before then. The hope is for a saner council and a mayor still committed to regionalism. But at minimum, the city will have leaders empowered for four years, not just a few more months. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, who’s threatening to use the death of the Cobo deal as a tool to lure the auto show to his turf, also needs to simmer down. His response threatens regional cooperation as much as the council’s antics do. Read the entire article here.

The Model D and Next American City April 8 Event is Full

By Model D Staff

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April 7, 2009

We have two great speaker events coming up: March 24 with Detroit's Open City group and another April 8 with the national Next American City magazine. Sign up now.

Model D Went to the Final Four and All We Brought You Were These Photos, Videos and Tweets

By Model D Staff

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April 7, 2009

We're going live this weekend with coverage from the Final Four festivities downtown. We'll be at the parties, bars, concerts, and other hoopla streaming photo, video and random thoughts. We'll also offer some best bets for where to go, what to do, and what to imbibe. Also, we suggest wearing lots of green and white. A big S would be nice, too.